Reflections
by aliarose
Summary: Amy mourns for Alex. And for her daughter.


Title: Reflections  
  
Author: alianora  
  
Email: alia@silverspiral.net  
  
Spoilers: Cry Your Name  
  
Summery: Amy mourns.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
How do you comfort someone who has lost one of her best friends?  
  
I hurt for her, for all of them. The eight of them had gotten so close.  
  
And Liz and Maria and Alex have always been close. Ever since the day all three of them got sent home from school for fighting.  
  
I'll never forget that. Yes, my daughter has spirit, but I never thought she would come home with a black eye. Home wasn't easy for her then, John had left, and I was working too many hours to make up the difference in income. So I was glad that she was making friends with little Liz Parker. I forgot how easily she gets jealous. Liz made the mistake of hanging around the new boy a little too long, and Maria got even. With her fists.  
  
I still have a picture somewhere of the three of them taken a few days after that. Alex has a gap toothed grin, courtesy of a lucky punch, Maria's eye has faded to purple and yellow, and Liz is sitting between them, arms wrapped firmly around both of them, and you can barely see the stitches on her forehead.  
  
They ran in a pack after that. Where one was, the other two couldn't be far behind. Whether that was running wild through town or occupying the back booth in the Crashdown for hours at a time.  
  
And now Alex is gone. Maria and Liz are two points in a broken triangle. He was the one who could always make Maria smile when she was in a bad mood, and could make Liz loosen up when she was a little too obsessed about homework.  
  
I need to call Nancy, and see how Liz is doing. Maria isn't handling it well. Michael practically carried her into the house last night. He told me what happened while Maria curled up into a ball on the sofa and cried.  
  
He looked so worried. I knew Maria liked Michael a great deal, but it wasn't something we talked about much anymore. She knew I wasn't very happy with their tendency to take off for parts unknown in my car, so she rarely talks about him.  
  
I can always tell when he has done something stupid though. She refuses to look at me when she comes out of her room. I could kill him for hurting her.  
  
But last night, I saw the way he watched her. He looked scared and uncertain and worried. For her, not for himself.  
  
He stayed here last night. I couldn't send him away.  
  
It took a long time for Maria to stop crying and get to sleep. And she wanted him and me with her the whole time she was awake. I think she was afraid that we would be gone too, if she fell asleep without us there. Sometimes I forget how insecure my daughter is.  
  
By the time she got to sleep, it was almost three in the morning, and I wasn't going to let Michael walk home at that time of night. So he stayed on the couch. I even left Maria's door open, so he could hear her if she woke up.  
  
Today hasn't been much better for my Maria. She isn't crying right now, but she isn't talking either. She didn't eat a thing, she just pushed it around on her plate. Michael didn't eat much of his dinner either. He was too busy watching Maria not eat.  
  
I told Maria she could stay home from school if she wanted to. She just nodded and kept getting ready. I'm not sure if she was trying to keep it together with routine, or if she just didn't want to be separated from Michael.  
  
He walked her to school, and afterwards, he walked her back. I think Sean asked him to take care of us while he is gone. I think that Michael would anyway.  
  
I'm getting used to having him around. I suppose I better, I don't think he will be budging from this house until after the funeral. And I'm glad. I'm glad that there is someone besides me that Maria can count on.  
  
I think Liz is handling this her own way. I haven't seen or heard from her yet. I haven't talked to Jim either. He has an investigation to run, as well as two more upset teenagers.  
  
Poor Kyle. Today is his birthday. Jim was excited, because he had missed Kyle's birthday last year, and they were planning on going out. I even made Kyle a pie. Its in the freezer right now. I suppose I should take it over there at some point.  
  
Maria and Michael are curled up on her bed. The door is open and all their clothes are on, so I'm not going to complain. She is huddled in his arms with her photo album. I wonder which stories she is telling him.  
  
Liz, Maria, and Alex had some great times together. There were coed sleepovers where they would stay up all night laughing and driving whichever set of parents insane, the roller skating trip that ended with Maria spraining her ankle when she tripped over Alex, and the time Alex lost a bet with Liz and had to be a Crashdown waitress for a day. Dress, antenna and all.  
  
I hope she can hold on to those memories. She has a hard road ahead. All seven of them do. 


End file.
